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Fig. 1 · C# harmonic minor · first 12 frets

guitar scale

C♯ harmonic minor

C♯1D♯2E♭3F♯4G♯5A♭6B♯7

Natural minor with the seventh raised, which buys a leading note and pays for it with a step and a half between the sixth and seventh.

The same sounds spelled from the other side are D♭ harmonic minor.

on ukuleleon piano

Written out

Fig. 2 · C# harmonic minor, ascending

Every accidental is written in, rather than left to a key signature, so the letters can be read one at a time.

The step pattern

C♯WD♯HEWF♯WG♯HAW+HB♯HC♯

What is true of it

C♯ harmonic minor is C♯, D♯, E, F♯, G♯, A and B♯, and back to C♯.

Its steps are W – H – W – W – H – W+H – H, where W is a whole step and H a half.

On the same tonic, C♯ natural minor differs from it by exactly one note.

Across the first twelve frets of the guitar its notes fall in 45 places, which is what makes a scale a shape rather than a list.

Chords made only of these notes

C♯mminorD♯dimdiminishedD♯m7♭5half-diminished seventhEaugaugmentedF♯mminorF♯dimdiminishedF♯m7minor seventhF♯m7♭5half-diminished seventh

Found by testing every chord in the catalogue against these 7 sounds, not chosen.

Other scales on C♯

C♯ natural minorminorC♯ melodic minorminorC♯ majormajorC♯ harmonic majormajorC♯ Dorianmode

C harm minD harm minD♯ harm minE♭ harm minE harm minF harm minF♯ harm minG♭ harm minall 374